For the fifth year, Zoetis and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Foundation have collaborated to provide financial support to veterinary students pursuing careers in large-animal veterinarian medicine.

Scholarships worth a total of $75,000 to help offset tuitions costs for 15 veterinary students were awarded at the AABP Annual Conference held Sept. 18 to 21 in Milwaukee.

"This is just the beginning of the support the AABP Foundation-Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund provides for the future generation of veterinarians," says M. Gatz Riddell Jr., DVM, executive vice president, AABP. "Our continued partnership with Zoetis on this program will continue making a difference for our young veterinary students."

Fifteen veterinary students were honored from across the United States. Each student received a $5,000 scholarship and attended the conference with paid travel and lodging.

Jake Geis received an AABP Foundation-Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship in 2012. The 2013 graduate of Iowa State University has joined a South Dakota practice that allows him to focus a majority of his time on beef cattle. The scholarship and the support of Zoetis and AABP have helped establish his career, Geis says.

"With a veterinary career, the learning is never over. This scholarship allowed me to focus more on veterinary medicine and less on my financial debt load," says Geis.

The scholarship fund is a component of the Zoetis Commitment to Veterinarians™ platform, which offers support through training and education, research and development, investing in the future of the veterinary profession, and philanthropy.

Veterinary students in their first or second year are supported through another component of the Commitment to Veterinarians platform in the Zoetis Externship Program. During this four-week externship students experience excellence in veterinary practice firsthand and acquire skills they will apply when practicing veterinary medicine after graduation, says Doug Braun, DVM, veterinary segment manager, strategic initiatives marketing, Zoetis.

"We recognize some of the best teachers are those effectively providing services to their clients while managing the business of veterinary medicine in their practices. Not everything can be taught in the classroom," Braun says.

"Not only are we providing financial support, we make sure that these students are given access to additional educational resources and opportunities to network with other veterinarians who have been in practice for several years. We feel these can lead to a successful career in a robust veterinary community."

Zoetis supports the scholarships through its FFA and AABP Foundation Support Program, a unique partnership with veterinarians, animal health suppliers and dealers. The program offered a 1% rebate on select Zoetis cattle products from Feb. 1 to April 30, 2013.

Participating partners were able to direct funds to any local FFA chapter(s) or the AABP Foundation-Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Fund.